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Dangerous Freight
Dangerous Freight is the seventh short story in the eighth anthology of Biggles Air Police short stories entitled Biggles Flies to Work. The anthology was first published in September, 1963. In the anthology, this story is preceded by Biggles Learns Something and followed by A Routine Job. Synopsis Biggles investigates a string of air crashes all of aircraft carrying shipments of gold. Plot (may contain spoilers - click on expand to read) Biggles reads in the newspapers that an old R.A.F. acquaintaince, Sammy Marsden, had died when his plane crashed in the Camargue in Southern France. The circumstances did not add up. The Camaargue was flat country. Even with all engines dead, a pilot of Marsden's experience could put his aircraft down safely. Moreover, his aircraft type, the DC-3, was tough and reliable with no record of structural problems. Last of, and always a matter for suspicion, the aircraft was carrying a load of gold. Biggles and Ginger fly down to the crash site. There they meet Norman Bales, one of the directors of the freight company whose plane it was and also a French police inspector from the nearby town of Arles. From Bales, Biggles learns that this was the third crash in a few months and all three had been carrying gold. A local farmer, Vallon, had been first on scene at the crash. He immediately rode to Arles to fetch the police. In the meantime, someone must have removed the gold from the plane as it was no longer on board. This must have taken place during the hour the farmer rode off and the arrival of th police. Speaking to the farmer, Biggles learns that there is a tourist, Monsieur Leroux, staying with him. Leroux had come down to photograph the flamingoes but had asked to stay with Vallon as his car had broken down. Marcel had now joined Biggles. They and the inspector from Arles decide to question Leroux. Leroux is at Vallon's farm fixing his car but Marcel starts the engine with no trouble. Knowing he has been caught, Leroux tries to run but is caught by two policemen. The boot of his car is unlocked and the gold is found inside. Faced with a charge of murder, Leroux confesses the whole thing. He is part of a gold robbery gang which is based in Accra, the point of departure of the gold aircraft. The crew had been fed with a slow acting drug which would cause them to lose consciousness at a predictable time. Leroux's job was to wait as the expected crash site to steal the gold. In a previous case, the dosage had been too strong and the plane had come down in the sea. This time it had crashed as expected. Based on Leroux's confession, the rest of the gang in Accra is picked up. Characters The Special Air Police/Scotland Yard *Biggles *Algy Lacey *Ginger Hebblethwaite Others *Marcel Brissac *Sammy Marsden *Norman Bales *Langdon *Monsieur Vallon *Monsieur Laroux Aircraft *Auster J1 Autocrat *Douglas DC-3 *Morane - belonging to Marcel Places Visited *Gatwick - Air Police Operations Room *Camargue Mentioned *Arles *Accra Research Notes References to the past Incongruities Chronology References Category:Biggles short stories Category:Short stories Category:Air Police era short stories